Hawkes Bay

Hawkes Bay

The beautiful region of Hawkes Bay in northern New Zealand is home to many of the country's oldest wineries, and is the birthplace of New Zealand's now enormous and important wine industry. Since the 1850s, Hawkes Bay has proven to be one of the country's most successful and widely renowned wine regions, with turnover increasing each year, and with its excellent quality, characterful and flavorful wines finding new fans all the time. The region is widely regarded as being the sunniest in New Zealand, and has a fantastic climate for viticulture. Indeed, the moderate humidity, low rainfall and blazing sunshine help the grapes which grow there flourish to full ripeness, and allow the resulting wine to be packed full of flavor and the finest features of the terroir. Hawke's Bay, a historic wine-producing area near the eastern center of the North Island with 28% of the country's vineyards, frequently records some of the country's sunniest weather. Chardonnay is its most important varietal, followed by the declining historic variety Muller-Thurgau, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot. Hawke's Bay Chardonnay is less forward than the Gisborne wines, but at its best exhibits strong citrus flavors and great elegance. The area's Sauvignon Blanc often has nectarine or stone fruit character, and is softer and less pungent than the better-known Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.
The Hawke's Bay reds are produced in a Bordeaux style. The Cabernet Sauvignons, sometimes blended with Cabernet Franc or Merlot, have intense berry, sometimes cassis flavors; they often have a slightly herbaceous character and show strong oak from barrel age. Hawke's Bay is widely considered to be the Merlot Capital of New Zealand, and though Merlot is produced in smaller quantities than Cabernet Sauvignon, these wines are also oak-aged and known for firm structure, as well as herbal, red berry and earthy flavors.